Plate condenser



Junem29, 1937. R W HASTlNGs 2,085,191l

PLATE CONDENSER Filed Aug. 24, 1935 wlTNEssEs: 2O INVENTOR ROGER W. HASTJNGS ATTORNY Patented June 29, y 1937 PATENT OFFICE PLATE CONDNSER `Roger W. Hastings, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, Eastv Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Y Application August 24, 1935, serial No. 31,666

6 claims.

My invention relates to heat rexchangers for use with refrigerating machines and it has for an vobject to provide an improved heat exchanger.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved condenser for refrigerating machines which may be economically produced from sheet material. l

A still further object of my invention isto deliver gaseous refrigerantabove the body of, condensed refrigerant in a plate type condenser having its gas inlet connection adjacent the bottom thereof.

These and other objects are effected bymy in- Vention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part'of this' application, in which:

Fig.` l is a vertical sectional view of a domestic refrigerator having my improved condenser applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the condenser shown in Figs. l and 2;

Fig. 3 is av sectional View taken on line III-III of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a second embodiment of my invention.

Heretofore, in the construction of domestic refrigerators having a bottom mounted compressor and a plate type condenser arranged thereabove, it has been the practice to connect a long gas conduit from the compressor to the top of the condenser, so that gas entering the condenser is not delivered' into the body of condensedl refrigerant and, furthermore, to prevent the flow of liquid refrigerant through the conduit toward the compressor. This connection required a long conduit disposed, usually, onthe outercabinet where it was unsightly or subjected to mechanical injury.

In `accordance with my invention, I provide a relatively iiat condenser of sheet metal having vits opposed walls joined, adjacent an inter- -mediate portion thereof, to provide a condensing chamberand a gas duct within the condenser Walls. The gas duct extends from the bottom of the condenser to adjacent the top thereof; where l it communicates with the upper portion of the condensing chamber. The gas inlet may then be 50 connected tothe bottom of the gas duct, and gas entering lthe condenser passes yupwardly through the enclosed duct prior to its admission into the vcondensing chamber. f

Preferably, the condenser walls are connected 55 by seam welding to provide the gas duct, which l welding adds to the strengthof the condenser. 'I'he walls defining the condensing chamber may be joined at several points to strengthen the condenser and to provide a plurality of interconnected passages in'the chamber for the ow of gas to be condensed. z

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a domestic refrigerator cabinet 9 having a storage chamber IIJ and an apparatus compartment II` therebelow, in which a refrigerating machine I2 is disposed. The latter may include a motor driven compressor (not shown) which is hermetically sealed within a casing I3. An evaporator I4 is arranged within the storage chamber I I) for cooling the same when refrigerant is circulated therethrough by the machine I2.

Arranged, preferably, on an outer wall of the refrigerator, is `a vertically disposed condenser I5 of the plate type. The condenser I5 may be secured to the cabinet-'9 in any suitable manner as, by means of one or more brackets I6. Preferably, the bracket I6 supports the condenser I5 in spaced relation with the wall of the cabinet '9 onl which it is carried,rso that a duct I1 is defined. Both sides of the condenser I5` are cooled; the rear being exposed to the ambient atmosphere and the front side to the thermally induced stream of air passing through the duct I'I. When the cabinet 9 is disposed in a room so that the condenser I5 is adjacent and parallel to a wall thereof, a second duct for air flow is dened by the rear of the condenser I5 and the wall.

Suction and liquid conduits I8 and I9 connect the evaporator I4 to the refrigerating machine I2 and the condenser I5, respectively. Both'of these conduits may be disposed within the ductfI'I. As shown, a high pressure gas conduit 20 extends from the refrigerating machine I2 to the condenser I5 for conveying the compressed gas to be condensed. A suitable pressure reducing device such as, for example, a conventional float valve 2|, is arranged in the liquid conduit I9 for reducing the pressure of the liquid, prior to its admission into the evaporator. The system disclosed operates on the well-known compressor condenser expander cycle, as will be understood.

I have shown, in Figs. 2 and 3 my improved condenser I5 which includes wall members 23 andr24 of a sheet material such as, for example,

v steel and which are secured together along their margins, as shown at 25, `preferably bywelding.

vThe walls 23 and 24 may be attached together at a plurality of points distributed over the surterminates in spaced relation with the top, to

define a passage, indicated at 32, between the `condensing chamber 29 and'y gas duct 3|'. The

high pressure gas conduit 2li-,may bei connected, as shown at 33, to the gas-duct 3| adjacent its lower end or the end which is adjacent the refrigerating machine I2. The liquid conduit I9 is connected to the condensing chamber below thev liquid level therein as shown at 34.

YDuring* operation of the refrigerating machine l2, gas is delivered through the conduit 29 to theduct 3| .and risesto the top of the condenser structure -.where it `enters the condensing chamber 29 throughr passage 32. Heat iis ab# stracted from the gas and vapor, in the passages 21 of the chamber 29 and is dissipated through the walls 23 and 24 to the ambient atmosphere. The condensed vapor collects in the. bottom of the condensing' chamber `29I and passes to the float valve 2| through the conduit |9 Vapor which may condense in the gas d uct 3| is mechanically suspended in the gas stream and carried thereby to they condensing chamber 129.

In manufacturing afpreferred form of my improved condenser, a pair of flatl steel plates are r`employed for forming the walls k23 and 24, which have indentations formed therein for defining the inlet and outlet connections 32 and 34. The plates are juxtaposed and the margins joined by seam welding, as shown at 25. The seam welds forming the wall 28 and the spotrwelds indicated at 26 are made; after which, fiuid, under high pressure, isy admitted through one or both of the connections 33 or 34. 4.The disconnected portions of the surfaceiofv the plates are forced apartY by the high pressure fluid to form the densing chamber 29 and the duct 4|; An outlet valve 2|.

passages 21 and 32 and the gas duct 3|.

I have shown4 in Fig. 4, a modification of the condenser |5 shown in the prior embodiment in which a second seam weld denes a wall 40 exftendin'g from the` topof the structure I5 toward the bottom thereof, whereby a'liquid duct 4| is formed. Thewall 40 terminates in spacedrelation withthe bottom for dening a passage 42 which provides communication between the con-'- 43 forcondensed refrigerant is provided at the top `of `the condenser structure, to which a conduitV |9A may bev attached forconducting liquid lrefrigerant'from the condenserr 29 to the float With this embodiment, it is not necf essary to extend the long conduit I9 of the prior embodiment to the bottom of the condenser. It

kwill be `understood that the bottom of the wall 49 is submerged atall times' in the liquid refrigerant in the condenser.'

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a strong and relatively inexpensive plate type condenser. Furthermore, by providing the gas inlet duct 3l within the condenser i the bottom of the condenser, where it is` convenlent for connection to the compressor. I eliminate the usual, long, high pressure gas conduit,` which has been employed in the past for conveying the steel, may be employed in the manufacture of my improved condenser and that the wall elements of the condenser may be joined by brazing, or methods other than welding.

While I have shown my invention in two forms,

, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon asl are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In acondenser,l the combinationy of spaced wallsv joinedalong their. edges and, defining ra receptacle for media to be condensed, a partition connecting said walls and extending from one edge of the walls toward the opposite edgethereof but terminating in spaced relation with the opposite'edge, said partition dividing the recep.

tacle intoy a condensing chamber and a con-A densate duct, vwhich communicates beneath the partition, means for admitting uid to be condensed to the condensing chamber and means for removing condensate from the duct adjacent an upper portion thereof.

2. In a condenser, the combinationof spaced wall members joined along their margins to dene al receptacle for media to b e condensed, ra partition connecting said wall members andextending from adjacent the bottom of the receptacle toward the Vtop thereof but terminating in spaced relation vwith the top, a second partition extending from adjacent the top of the receptacleI toward the bottomthereof but terminating in spaced relation with the bottom, said partitions dividing the receptacle into a condensing chamber, a gas duct and a condensate duct, said gas duct communicating with the condensing chamber above the rst-mentionedpartition, said condensate duct communicating with the condensing chamber beneath said second partition, means for admitting gaseous media to be condensed to thegasduct adjacent the bottom there--r of and means for removing condensate from the condensatev duct adjacent the top thereof.

3.111 a heat exchanger for condensing vrefrigerant vapor, the combinationy of first and vsecond substantially flat wall members secured together at'the edges, thereof, means defining a partition connecting said wall members and extending from the bottom edge of the wall members toward the ytop edge thereof but terminating in spaced relation with the top edge, said partltion being disposed adjacent a side edge of the wall whereby a relatively wide condensing chamber and a narrowA duct are defined between the wall members, said condensing chamberand duct communicating above the partition, means for admitting refrigerant vaporto the duct adjacent the bottom thereof and means for conveying condensed refrigerant from the lower. portion of the condensing chamber to the exterior thereof, said duct having a. fiow area of such proportions that the velocity of vapor passed therethrough is suf? ficient to mechanically carryA condensed vapor in suspension. Y

4. In a sheet metal heat exchanger for condensing refrigerant vapor, the combination of a pair ofsubstantially flat vertical walls spaced apart and Joined at their edges, a welded seam connecting the walls and extending vertically 5 from the bottom of the walls toward the top thereof but terminating in spaced relation with the top for defining a relatively wide condensing chamber and a relatively narrow vapor duct, said chamber and duct communicating above the l seam, a plurality of spot-welds distributed throughout the condensing chamber and connecting said walls for providing a series of interconnected passages in the condensing chamber, means for admitting vapor to be condensed to 15 the duct adjacent the bottom thereof and means for conveying condensed vapor from the condensing 'chamber adjacent the bottom thereof; said duct having a ow area of such proportions that the velocity of vapor` passed therethrough is 20 sufficient to mechanically carry condensed vapor in suspension.

5. In a heat exchanger for condensing refrigerant vapor, the combination of first and second substantially at wall members secured together at the edges thereof, means defining a partition connecting said wall members and extending from the bottom edge of the wall members toward the top edge thereof but terminating in spaced relation with the top edge, said partition defining a relatively wide condensing chamber with one side edge of the wall members and a relatively narrow vapor duct with the other side edge of the wall members, said condensing cham- 35 ber and vapor duct communicating above the partition. means for admitting refrigerant vapor to the duct adjacent the bottom thereof and means for conveying condensed refrigerant from the lower portion of the condensing chamber, said duct having a flow area of such proportions that the velocity of vapor passed therethrough is sufficient to mechanically carry condensed vapor in suspension.

6. In a heat exchanger for condensing refrigerant vapor, the combination of first and second substantially at wall members secured together at the edges thereof, means defining a partition connecting said wall members and extending from the bottom edge of the wall members toward the top edge thereof but terminating in spaced relation with the top edge, said partition dening a relatively wide condensing chamber with one side edge of the wall members and a v relatively narrow vapor duct with the other side edge of the wall members, said condensing chamber and vapor duct communicating above the partition, a plurality of spot welds distributed throughout the surface of the condensing chamber and connecting said wall members forv dening a series of interconnected passages in the condensing chamber, means for admitting refrigerant vapor to the duct adjacent the bottom thereof and means for withdrawing condensed refrigerant from the bottom of the condensing chamber, said duct having a ilow area of such proportions that the velocity of vapor passed therethrough is sufllcient to mechanically carry condensed vapor in suspension.

ROGER W. HASTINGS. 

